Insecticidal composition and method

Abstract

A composition for surface treatment of timber and wood products that provides protection against insect damage to all surfaces without any need for a secondary insecticide treatment of one or more new, untreated surfaces generated by post-treatment processing operations including sawing, cutting, drilling, bevelling, planing, sanding and / or a combination thereof, comprising one or more non-repellent insecticides.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS[0001]This application claims priority to the following patent applications: (1) Patent Cooperation Treaty Application PCT / NZ2010 / 000057 filed Mar. 25, 2010; and (2) New Zealand Patent Application No. NZ576293, filed on Apr. 17, 2009 each of the above cited applications is hereby incorporated by reference herein as if fully set forth in its entirety.FIELD OF THE INVENTION[0002]This invention relates to an insecticidal composition and its method of use for surface treatment of timber or wood products. More particularly, but not exclusively, the invention provides for the use of one or more non-repellent insecticides in the manufacture of an insecticidal composition, wherein said composition is to be used for surface treatment of timber or wood products. Even more particularly, the invention provides for the use of one or more non-repellent neonicotinoid insecticides in the manufacture of an insecticidal composition, wherein said composition is t...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

"The invention provides an improved composition and method for treating timber and wood products that overcomes the disadvantages of existing treatments. The method involves surface-treating timber and wood products with non-repellent insecticides that provide long-term protection against insects without the need for a secondary insecticide treatment. The non-repellent insecticides used in the invention have low toxicities, favorable environmental profiles, and high safety margin for exposed workers. The surface treatment can be applied to any surface of the timber or wood product and results in limited penetration below the surface. The technical effects of the invention include improved safety for builders and home handymen, as well as greater levels of safety over existing compositions and treated timber and wood products."

Problems solved by technology

Many timber and wood-containing products, particularly those from softwood species, are also subject to insect damage as well as fungal degradation and discolouration.

Both approaches produce high levels of active ingredient penetration but are expensive.

Additionally the former method requires special care to avoid problems with dimensional stability and the latter method leaves solvent residues.

These post-treatment operations expose new surfaces that have not been treated directly with insecticide.

Accordingly, with surface-treated timber or wood products, it is industry practice to provide a secondary treatment operation in which the newly exposed surfaces are treated with insecticide before the structural members are nailed or otherwise fixed into place but this involves additional time, expense and risk to workers.

The prior art teaches that non-repellent insecticides used as a surface treatment for timber or wood products are unable to prevent insect damage to any untreated surfaces and that to avoid the need for secondary insecticide treatment of newly cut surfaces, for example on a building site, it is necessary to use surface treatment compositions and methods that utilise repellent insecticidal active ingredients.

These compositions are both lethal to the target insects and repellent with respect to the target insects.

Unfortunately these active ingredients have relatively high mammalian toxicities and workers handling products containing these active ingredients commonly experience paresthesia or skin irritation to varying extents.

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